The Descending Evil OoT novelization
by The Mano Games VII
Summary: It is a time of relative peace for Hyrule for it had just ended its brutal and bloody war with the Moblins and Gerudo. However, unbeknowst to all, there is a great and powerful evil in the land that will stop at nothing in his bid for absolute power. OoT
1. Chapter 1

Yo this is ArcsaurdeQuester (or FionordeQuester, I can't remember which) and this is my very first time posting

Yo this is ArcsaurdeQuester (or FionordeQuester, I can't remember which) and this is my very first time posting. I plan on being a proficient writer by the time I become what I want to be (a video game designer) so I will now be posting my very first fanfiction which is a novelization of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This is because its one of my favorite games and it is a novelization i've been developing in my head for a while now because personally I see a lot of potential in this and I not only will I complete it, I intend to make it a novelization worthy of OoT no matter how time I have to spend on it (dunno if I can revise it or not). Criticism or comments would be greatly appreciated as I'm always looking for a way to make my story better. So without further ado

Prologue

The thunder and rain pounded the earth as sword and spear clashed as man and beast fought in a battle for dominance. Warriors fell to the ground bleeding and trampled, steel and tusks rending flesh and bone. On one side were the knights of Hyrule, trying to overrun their opponents, on the other were giant beasts standing 9 feet tall, and driving back the invaders with huge pikes. And caught in a tide of enemies was the commander of the beasts, doing everything he could to stay alive, his armor cracked and his fur covered with blood.

With a scream, he thrust his spear forward, ending the life of the one in front of him, twisting around to shunt aside three blades aimed towards his back. He bore into the first soldier he saw with a wild punch that sent him flying, sent his tusks into anothers chest and slammed a third into the ground with a downward swing from his spear. The beast then toppled three rows of soldiers with a shoulder ram before finding himself struggling to parry his enemies blows. The giant yowled in shock and rage as a blade raked his chest, breaking his already cracked armor. Before long he found himself on the bottom of throngs of soldiers forcing him into the ground, screaming in agony as an arrow lodged itself right above his eye and felt swords forcing themselves through his arms and legs. In a maneuver that had never failed him before, the commander let his enemies combined weight force his knees to the ground as if in surrender. Right as his life was about to be ended however, he suddenly surged upwards, sending piles of soldiers crashing down around him and stamped the life out them with his hooves.

Left with no time to recover, the beast rammed into the soldiers in front of them. He tried to stand his ground against five more charging knights but found himself staggering as arrows started hitting his flank. He felt a sword enter his back and another in his stomach, and in a cry of desperation he whirled and thrashed around, killing every soldier he could before another beast with raven black hair threw the soldiers off of him and quickly killed them with a few spear thrusts. Then the assault suddenly ended as the commander could see no more enemies and suddenly collapsed to his knees, breathing short ragged breaths.

"Commander Oakheart are you alright?" the raven colored beast asked.

"Yes of course I'm alright!" Oakheart rasped.

Groaning, Oakheart forced himself onto his knees, shutting his right eye as blood oozed down from the arrow wound above the eye. Grimacing as he saw the dead bodies of his allies around him, Oakheart scanned the groups of beasts until he was able to identify an orange bodied beast trying to reorganize the scattered forces.

"Ravenpelt, tell the troops to gather at the high rock" Oakheart ordered.

"Yes Commander" said Ravenpelt as Oakheart began trudging towards the beast he had picked out, hand placed on his gaping chest wound.

"Sandstorm status report" Oakheart said as Sandstorm whirled around to meet his gaze.

"Better than I expected sir, only 32 killed and 54 wounded" responded the she-beast Sandstorm.

"Good, now go try to find the gerudos, I can...ggghhhh...handle things from here..." Oakheart gasped.

"Commander, are you sure you'll be alright?" Sandstorm asked as worry began to enter her eyes.

"Sandstorm, I told you, I'll be alright now go find those gerudo warriors!" Oakheart said irritably.

With a heavy sigh, Oakheart trudged along towards the high rock, a sloped hill that stood out above the rest of Hyrule Field and marked the border of their territory.

"Now maybe those humans have learned their lesson!" one of the warriors yelled.

"Yeah don't mess with the tauren, we do not go down easily!"

Roars of victory suddenly sounded out as the warriors began celebrating their victory. A small glimmer of pride made itself known in a slight smile that appeared on his face as he watched his warriors celebrate their victory. These were the Tauren, giant bulky beasts standing almost nine feet tall, covered with thick, coarse hair. These were a proud tribal species who followed a code of honor, whose lives were dedicated to doing such things as caring for the old and weak, gathering herbs for the medicine tauren, and always making sure there was enough food for the entire tribe. They were a thriving and prosperous race..."until the hyruleans forced them out of their forests based on fear and baise!" Oakheart remembered as a wave of anger briefly settled in his mind. He then dispersed it as he stood directly in front of his warriors.

"Good job men, every single one of you has fought with courage and skill today" Oakheart complimented.

"And as for those who have died here today, they will always be remembered for their honor and bravery" Oakheart stopped as the warriors became slightly downcast.

"Now" Oakheart went on. Does anyone have anything to report?" All remained silent for a minute until a voice belonging to Ravenpelt called

"Commander Oakheart, we've managed to capture a few of the stragglers".

Oakheart craned his head toward Ravenpelts direction to see two soldiers, their armor ruined and their hands bound by rope.

"Bring them to me, I want to know why they went against our agreement".

Ravenpelt walked the two P.O.W's over to Oakheart as angry jeers began emerge from some of the tauren as their fur bristled in anger at the sight of the humans.

"Tell me..." Oakheart began as walked over to the soldiers. "Why did you trespass onto tauren territory, we agreed only 6 months ago that this would be our home and that no one would trespass upon our lands without good reason, did we not?" Silence fell on the tauren as they all waited for the awnser.

"Well I'd say the murder of sixteen members of nobility sounds like a pretty good reason you monsters!" one of the soldiers spat.

"Listen we did not kill your stupid nobles!" one of the tauren cried.

"We did nothing to like that!" said another.

"Why the hell do you think we would lay a hand on them when we can barely survive as it is?!" a bracken colored tauren called from the back. And soon, the whole circle filled with the sound of protest as everyone voiced their resentment and anger at being accused.

"SILENCE!!" Oakheart yelled, putting an end to the constant shouting and noise.

"Listen, you tell your king that we have done absolutely nothing of the sort because I swear by the honor of all the tauren warriors that we are not the ones to blame" Oakheart asserted.

"Yeah right like we're supposed believe you!" one of the soldiers replied.

"Yeah, and just what honor are you talking about moblin scum?!" the other spat.

At the sound of the word "moblin" the entire group of warriors became a frenzied mob, screaming screams of hatred and outrage at the cruel name they had been labeled as by the hyruleans as Oakheart barely contained his desires to wrap his hands around the second soldiers throat and squeeze the life out of him.

"Ravenpelt, take these prisoners to Redstar, he'll decide what to do with them" Oakheart ordered.

"This battle is over, you all may return home now" Oakheart shouted.

The tauren warriors started down towards the south towards their home, big clusters of tall green trees just over the horizon. Oakheart began taking up the rear when he started hearing the trot of horses from the east. Turning his head, Oakheart muscles tensed as he saw clusters of horses beating down towards his direction. As he was about to warn the others however, he became relieved as he saw who exactly was riding towards him.

The riders consisted mostly of women with thick white pants, thick coats and robes, and red ponytails with two huge swords strapped to their backs. And in front of the charge was a huge warrior covered in thick oblivion black plate mail with a cloak draped across his back. As they rode closer and closer, the riders slowed their horses to a trot as the leader approached Oakheart. Eventually, the leader climbed down from his horse to face Oakheart.

"Commander Oakheart, I see the dead bodies of hyruleans and tauren all around us, what has happened here?" the man asked.

"The hyruleans attempted to invade us, but we beat them back before too much harm could be done" Oakheart replied.

"Apparently they think we're responsible for the deaths of several important members of nobility". The man nodded with a solemn expression on his face, though inwardly he had to suppress a smile at the mention of the accusation against the tauren.

"I see" the man nodded and furrowed his brow and closed his eyes as though in deep thought. Neither said a word, aborbing this information and remaining silent, until finally the man broke the silence.

"Oakheart, it pains me to say this, but I think it's time we finally reclaimed your lands once and for all" the man stated, causing an expression of alarm to appear on a stunned Oakheart.

"Ganondorf, are you suggesting we go to war with them?!" Oakheart stuttered, mouth agape.

"Why not?! Haven't they already declared war a long time ago just by driving you from your homes based on an evaluation based entirely on lies and baise?!" Ganondorf screamed. Oakheart's body became tensed with emotion at the mention of their "evaluation" and stared into the ground in silence. Ganondorf saw the conflicting emotions inside the tauren commander and decided to explain further.

"Oakheart, please understand, I know how much you value your people and I know you already have had enough problems without a war to think about". Ganondorf paused to think for a minute as Oakheart began to look up, then spoke again.

"I still remember the day you all came to our valley, hungry and weak, and I'll admit we all had our misgivings about you and the other tribes" Ganondorf stated.

"But from the very first moment I saw how you struggled to maintain the lives of your comrades, the strong helping the weak, your leader and you desperately trying to save your race, and the bravery you showed in trespassing upon our land knowing full well what might happen to you if you were caught, I knew that you were a noble and honorable race who deserved help and support before our current ruler Ietta even saw you" Ganondorf gritted his teeth in anger and met Oakhearts eyes with a gaze full of intensity and passion.

"But those hyruleans don't see that! All they see are cruel and feral monsters who cause misery and destruction to all. Don't you see? As long as you do nothing, your people will never be truly free from their oppression. Even now, they do nothing but blame you for every death or pillaging that happen to occur in the wild, you are nothing but martyrs to them!" Oakheart, taking to heart everything Ganondorf had said, again stared at the ground. His chest began to throb with a dull pain as his eyes began to haze and fog. Seeing this, Ganondorf decided to soften the blow he had dealt.

"Oakheart, believe me, if there was any other way, if there was any way we could prove to those accursed fools the passion and honor your race posesses, I wouldn't be suggesting this. But not once in any of our dealings with them have I ever seen them even bat an eye at the thought of your persecution, and even now they have started to accuse us, the gerudo, of assisting you in plundering their riches and destroying their supplies and lands, not because we have done anything to them, not because we have shown any reasons for them to doubt us, but simply because we happen to be allied with you. So Oakheart do you see now? Do you see now how war is the only way we can ever hope to promise our young and old a happy and prosperous future? I know this is a difficult thing to ask of you, so you can take as long as you want to think about my suggestion, Queen Ietta has already given our army permission to assist you in your campaign".

Ganondorfs words hit dead on, causing Oakhearts mind to swirl as he took in everything Ganondorf had just said. Images of Brightfur, his apprentice, his friends Brackenfist, Greypelt, Longtusk, and the one he was in love with, Silverpelt, his respected leader Redstar, the elders, and his mother and father Greenleaf and Mammothtusk, all flashed in his head. He saw in every face a life he valued beyond measure and one he would die to protect. And soon he remembered the day he had been appointed Commander, standing besides Redstar on the tall rock Redstar always used to addressed his tribe, almost overwhelmed with surprise, nervousness, and responsibilty as every able warrior chanted his name. He remembered the promise he had made to himself to do everything in his power from then on to protect and serve his people.

Then anger and rage replaced his nervousness as he remembered the day the tauren and the hyruleans agreed on where the tauren would live, remembered the scorn and hatred that would appear on their races every they faced him and his people. Indeed, war did seem like the only option they had availble to them. Uncertainty again made Oakheart doubt the wisdom in war however when he remembered all the casualties and lost lives his tribe would most certainly suffer. Finally Oakheart spoke.

"Ganondorf, I'm aware of everything you just said, and I know now that they will never leave us alone for as long as we live"

"And?" Ganondorf inquired.

"But I just don't see how a war could possibly solve any of our problems. Life is hard enough as it is with food shortages and recent outbreaks of sickness without war to complicate things any further" Oakheart thought of what else to say as Ganondorfs gaze continued to bore into him.

"And anyways that's not my decision to whether we go to war or not. That right belongs only to Redstar, and I can guarantee you he will not do this without the support of the other tribal leaders" Oakheart said.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to attend to the needs of my tribe, I need to see Spottedcoat, our medicine tauren, anyways" Oakheart said turning his back to walk back to his tribe. Ganondorf seemed unsatisfied however.

"If that's the case, may I please speak to Redstar?" Ganondorf inquired.

"Yes I suppose you could" Oakheart replied, briefly wondering why Ganondorf had to discuss this so quickly.

"Nabooru, report everything that has just transpired to Ietta and tell her that I went to speak with Redstar and will be back by nightfall, the rest of you, return to the camp" Ganondorf ordered. Nodding, though slightly taken aback, Nabooru went off with the rest of the gerudo warriors back to their kingdom as Oakheart walked off toward his tribe with Ganondorf riding right behind him.

As the pair walked along, Oakheart couldn't help but lose himself to the horizon that stretched out before him. He looked on at the beautiful shade of blue that comingled with the rain soaked mountains that appeared as hazy blue spires standing as sentinels in the distance. Oakheart then looked up, admiring the awesome dark-grey clouds sending their blessings to all of the wet earth and sending shadow and darkness to cover and blanket all living beings, as well as the way the trees moved and swayed with the wind. A faint wistfulness came to Oakhearts eyes as he remembered his days inside his old home, a giant forest filled with tall canopy tries that blotted out most of the light, filled with soft fertile soil and dense ferns and plants that always gave the hunters plently of cover, a place he had spent the first fours years of his life in. Memories of hunting and patrolling with his friends, being scolded by the elders, training under his mentor Thorntusk, and finally becoming a warrior alongside his friends after their 1st year flooded through Oakhearts mind.

"My name was once Oakfur then" Oakheart thought, remembering with a chuckle how every apprentice would have fur at the end of his or her name. His eyes dropped again.

"If any of you in the Pridelands can hear me right now, please don't let it come to war" Oakheart silently pleaded them.

End of Prolouge


	2. Chapter 2

Yo this is ArcsaurdeQuester (or FionordeQuester, I can't remember which) and this is my very first time posting

Chapter 1: The World of the Kokiri

I suppose you are now wondering, what are the kokiri? After all, if it's in the title it must be important right? In time, I'll let you see everything you need to know, but first I wish to give you a sense of the world around them.

The landmass they live on, is the continent of Itteka. In this continent are six major civilizations.

First there was the kingdom of Hyrule. Out of all of the six civilizations, their kingdom was the most prosperous, spanning the entire north and northwest end of Itteka. And under the rule of King John the V, that territory had been expanded to almost all of the land on the top half of Itteka. They were also by far the most ambitious, always seeking to revolutionize their technology and attempting to garner resources from anyplace they could.

Second there were the gorons, wide rocky creatures with backs covered in scales and possessing bodies heavy enough to squash a human with one careless step. Unlike the humans, the gorons spent most of their time living in their own homes, and mainly populated the huge mountain ranges that covered most of northeast Itteka. They and the humans had been good allies ever since the rule of King Ragnos the II, and although the gorons were a peaceful race, they had almost always been willing to give the hyruleans a helping hand in the wars of old.

Third were the zoras, an aquatic race that took up the land from the east and south/southwest. They were a tall, sleek bodied people who could use the fins on their forearms to travel through the water at great speeds and, when needed, use them to deadly effect as boomerangs and blades. They were a dignified group, holding themselves to an especially high standard and preferring to spend their time in such things as learning everything they could about current affairs and expressing themselves through song, dance, and storytelling.

So fascinated in fact were they in learning, that they would spend vast amounts of time simply memorizing the entire lineage of every zora in the entire kingdom. Nowhere else in the whole of Itteka would you find a people who were even willing, let alone able, to memorize the entire 6,375 long list of family trees in the kindgom. As a result they looked upon aggression with extreme disfavor, and though their confidence in their militiary bordered on arrogance, they had no desire to fight in "pointless" wars.

Then there were the tauren, whom you know doubt have already previously learned about in the prolouge. The tauren were a tribal species seperated into four major tribes, each led by a leader and the second in command. They used a rather unique ranking system, usually added to the end of their name such as "star" for the leader and "fur" for warriors-in-training. It has been four years since the prolouge and with the help of the gerudo, they had fought the hyruleans to a standstill. Now they had agreed to negotiate a compromise. How are they doing now? Well, that's a story for another time and I don't want to get too far offtrack.

Then there were the gerudo who inhabitated the vast deserts of the west. They were a large group of nomads usually united under a queen. Although they were human, they could care less for the modern technology, having little time for such things when food and water were so hard to find. Unfriendly to foreigners, they had a somewhat bitter relationship with Hyrule. For these reasons as well as their background and skills in stealth, they were mostly thought of as a large band of thieves who would do anything to survive.

As a matter of fact, this opinion hardly did the race justice. They were a kind enough group when it came to dealing with their own. They were actually an honorable race with a rich history of tradition, great rulers, and journeys throughout the great desert. They were also a race made up entirely of women save for one man who would be born every thousand years to become the king of the gerudo at the age of thirty. No doubt you've already been acquinted with the current king-to-be, Ganondorf Dragmire.

And finally, there are the kokiri themselves. The kokiri were a forest folk, living in a large forest at the southeast corner of Itteka. The people, curiously enough, almost never grew past five feet and usually looked as though they were children no matter how old they became. Each one was accompanied with a fairy, small but wise creatures, who would act both as companions and teachers to the children. Their population was very small compared to the rest of the civilizations in Itteka and they were almost completely ignorant of the world beyond the forest.

However, the reverse could be said for the rest of the world for no one has ever been able to find out anything about the forest. The hyruleans had certainly tried hard over the years, to unravel the secrets it held. But none had ever returned from their journey.

The forest the kokiri lived in was an enchanted one, created by their god the Great Deku Tree. All who tried to travel through this forest would be snared in an inescapable loop, doomed to die of starvation. Those who were innocent would be resurrected as skull children, imps that wandered the lost woods without a care, dancing and playing merrily on their flutes. As for those with evil intentions...they would be bound into an eternal hell for all of time by the fury of the Great Deku Tree.

It was for these reasons that the forest became a fearful place to the hyruleans. A terrible, fell place where all trespassers would die. And so it came to be called the Lost Woods. In recent years, it had fallen into obsurity, forgotten by most. Unbenowst to everyone however, there was one who lived in the forest who would play a major role in a chain of events that would alter Ittekas destiny for all of time...

And now, this is where I must take my leave of you. I feel it would be best if you could experience the story through the eyes of the people involved instead of through my narration. Take heart though, I will not be leaving forever, I will be back to explain certain things and offer my insights when needed. See ya later.

It was a peaceful night inside the forest of the kokiri. The whole forest was silent under the canopy, the air filled with the sounds of crickets and other such insects. And in the center of it all, settled on a high plateau, was the Kokiri Village, in a state of restfulness.

They slumbered in their hollowed out oaks and sycamores, each one watched over by their fairies. And they dreamt eagerly of times forthcoming, for just two days ago was the day of the festival, the annual celebration held once every year in honor of the Great Deku Tree and the forest they had been blessed with. Food, games, songs, dancing, everything was being set up for all to party to their hearts (and their stomachs) content. However there was one in the village who had no fairy, and did not sleep so well...

The boy stood, lost in a world ruled by darkness. Nothing seemed real to him, save the surface that somehow existed under his feet. And yet, he shuddered with fear, for he saw the darkness taking shape. Suddenly, it wrapped itself around him. Desperately he fought against his prison, but the harder he resisted, the tighter it squeezed.

Then to his horror, the darkness surged into his mouth and ears. He could not scream, could not move, could not even breath! The boy was being consumed. Soon, it became too much for him, and the boy let out a bloodcurling scream.

The boy threw himself from his bed. He ran through the kitchen, wailing for several horrible moments. He took no mind to anything around him, and on he went, knocking things into a chaotic mess about him until he finally fell onto the ground. He writhed and tossed still screaming in horror.

But then finally, his senses started to return. Propping himself against a wall, he gulped down mounds of air, gasping as he tried to gain control over his breathing. Eventually, his body was calmed enough that he could now function. The boy slowly opened his eyes.

His environment was dim at first, barely more than a haze that blocked his vision. Eventually however, he could see detail in his surroundings, and sighed at the mess he had caused.

"Not again..." he groaned. The boy stumbled over to the scattered items across the floor, stove utensils, packages of food, plants, and other such things. After putting them all back, he went back through his bedroom door. The boy barely took 2 steps into the room however, when he smelled a strong stink. He sniffed the air curiously, and turned red in dismay when it seemed to be coming from his bed.

"Oh no, please don't tell me..." he began. He flipped over his sheets. On the undersides was a big wet yellow circle.

"Aw jeez, not again!" he cried. With a frustrated growl he stormed over to a closet in the corner of his room. The boy then spent the next minute or so changing his clothes. After he was done, he slung the blankets over his shoulder and walked out of his house.

As he emerged outside, the boy stood still. The boy took a long deep breath, letting the cool air cover him. He looked out towards the village.

The night shone a dark blue. The homes of the kokiri were lined behind the crossroads strewn about the village. The forest was quite, disturbed by nothing but the sounds of bugs and fairies. The boy leaned over the railing to take it all in.

This was Link. His face was fair, his blonde hair was tinged with orange, and his eyes shone a clear light blue. He wore a green tunic down to his knees with a belt wrapped around his waist, brown boots, and wore a green cap that sagged down to his neck.

At length, Link climbed down the stairs onto the forest floor. He walked a short distance to the left of his house, towards a river flowing from the east. Link set the blankets into the river and for the next fifteen minutes, he scrubbed the sheets (and the underwear) clean, washing it with forest gels from his pouch. Later after one final check, Link deemed his task finished and looked around at the houses around him.

"Well, at least nobody was awake to see what I was washing!" he laughed. For an instant Link closed his eyes, and his smile faded as nightmarish images overwhelmed his thoughts.

"I guess it's no good trying to go to sleep again...well, I guess I should try figuring out who will do what for tomorrow, It's not like I'm going to be doing much else tonight" he sighed. So Link went back to his house and into the living room where he took a scroll out of it's cabinet. Written on it were jobs, when to do those jobs, and people chosen to do those jobs.

"Alright... well we already have all the food ingredients we need, Raul and Mido already took care of that, the so called "Know-it-all-Brothers" are capable of doing the story telling, looks like we still need one more for the band though" Link scratched his head thoughtfully.

"I'd do that one myself if I was any good...Cornelia could do. Alright then, since activities are taken care of, now we just need a cleaning crew. Almost no ones willing to join that of course so I...guess I'll be joining that one...gghhghgh...then". And suddenly his thoughts were broken, as dark images flashed through his mind again. He began to sweat as his head ached with pain.

"C,mon shake it off, shake it off..." he pleaded. He breathed in relief when the images seemed to be going away. Link gazed at the parchment, wondering whether he should continue. But then his head began throbbing in pain.

"No, no, no...ghghgh...AUGGGGHHHHH". He rolled in agony, the black shapes forming again, it would not let him be. Link held his head screaming in pain as his mind was overtaken once again. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Link was delivered from his suffering, gasping for air.

"Why? What the heck is this?! This has been going on for a whole week now, why won't it stop?!". Link was deeply troubled. For minutes, he sat there silently, unmoving.

Was there any end to his troubled dreams? What was causing it? Was there something wrong with him? What did they mean? All questions that couldn't be answered. Taking care to set back what he had washed, Link departed to take a walk in the forest. The forest was almost magical this time of night, and maybe it could clear his head. Even if it could though, it could do nothing, nothing for the fear that haunted his heart...

Once again, Link was off, this time to the right from his house. He went off the beaten path, and over several slopes that went up towards the edge of the village. After he was done, he went off a steep incline leading into the Lost Woods. And at the bottom, he stood at the mouth of a large cave.

The cave mouth was black. A whole band of fireflies gathered around the entrance giving it a feeling of otherworldliness. To Link, it seemed as though it led into another dimension outside his own. With that in mind, he proceeded into it's depths.

Link was met with a blast of cold air as went entered. Here the other place became obscured from view, night sounds and all. And yet, Link felt at peace here, letting his feet travel without a guide. Where previously he felt terror and fright for his twisted visions, now was a strange detachment. After a moment, his steps began to change from an echoing thud to a soft crunching sound. When Link opened his eyes he could see large trees looming before him.

He was now in a wide clearing surrounded by trees. He had come here for a reason, for a place he needed when became upset as he now was. Link took a straight path going to the right.

The Lost Woods was an pleasant place to be this kind of night, fireflies illuminating the paths, the forest roof swaying with the wind, and dark shades of grass that cluttered the area. Despite this, the brooding green figure moved sullenly along.

After a half hours journey, Link had arrived at a fence on the east side of the forest with a ladder leading downwards. Below was the vast playground of the skull children, where many of them would gather. If one was lucky, he would hear the beautiful melodies sometimes played by the skull children. Right now however it was empty and the imps were nowhere in sight.

Going left from there, Link continued on his way up a hump of land in front of him through a twisting path that descended down into a spiral. At length, Link had reached a giant archway blocked off by huge granite slabs of rock. Now he was only about five minutes away from his destination, where he could clear his mind. However a strange nostalgia swept over him when he thought of the archways.

"Just what is it for?" he wondered. The path was an object of curiosity amoung the kokiri, one of their favorite activities a while ago being to gather around and try to figure out what it was. Links mind drifted into the past as he fondly remembered one particular afternoon where the whole village once went on an "expedition" to figure out what secrets it contained...

"Hey Link can you help me out here?" grunted a kokiri kid.

"Sure" replied Link, walking over to the kokiri kid. Right before them was a small boulder set loosely in the stone wall. Above the boulder was another one that threatened to slide off should anyone attempt to move the bottom one forward.

"Link, we can't afford any screw ups, are you sure you can do it?" asked the kokiri, Raul. Before he answered, Link took a moment to size up the rock. It's sides seemed easy enough to grasp, so a firm grip wouldn't be a problem. The rock was large however, easily 70 pounds, and despite his and Raul's combined strength, moving it would be difficult to pull off. And if he couldn't move it right away, the four kokiri supporting the rock above would give in to it's weight and be crushed.

"Yes, but give me a minute to prepare first"

"Alright, take your time" So Link ran through the whole process in his head. He would grab the rock from the bottom, rolling it upwards, Raul would grab onto a side to move it back as Link pushed. Positioned under the larger rock were four others who would keep it from falling onto Link or Raul.

"Ok ready" Link said.

"Alright, Jim, Carl, Matt, John, you ready?!" Raul shouted as he grabbed a side.

"Don't worry, we've got this!" replied Carl.

"Ready Link?"

"I'm ready" Link breathed, pressing his hands against the stone.

"Ok on the count of three." Links body tensed up as he positioned his knees.

"One"

Link mentally prepped himself to push with all his might.

"Two"

All but Raul remained silent.

"Three!!" Raul screamed. At that, Link immediately put all his body weight forward and put everything he had into it. The moment was tense, the larger rock teetering precariously on the rock. It was an agonizingly slow process, Link pushing with all his might, Raul doing everything he could to help Link, and the four others already buckling under the huge boulder. The rock was pushed further and further until the boulder now threatened to fall over.

"Out of the way!" Raul screamed. And just in the nick of time, Link and the other leaped clear of the rock as the top one was sent crashing down into the earth. Dust was thrown up into the air, settling upon the group as it began to fall. Then as the dust began to fade, the kokiri began to get up.

"Anyone hurt?" Raul asked.

"Nope" came everyones reply.

"Good, I think we can all take a break now, good job everyone"

"Thanks" Link gasped, brushing himself off. "Well, that's one more stone we won't have to worry about" Link thought.

"Hi Link, hows it going?" said a voice behind him. Turning around, Link saw a green haired girl walking towards him.

"Good" Link replied.

"That's nice" The two walked towards the area where tables were set up.

"So what did you do all afternoon" Link asked, getting some food from a table.

"Well, first we helped dig trenches and unearth some rocks so that we could move them, then we spent the rest of the day gathering food and water. What did you do?"

"The first thing, except we had to move boulders."

"Wow really? You had to move those boulders for five hours?!" she asked, amazed.

"Pretty much"

"Wow, good thing you were there to help them then"

"Well, actually we had a bit of trouble with the last one"

"Oh, was anyone hurt?"

"Oh no, everyones fine, I'm still sore from having to move it though"

"I see" Saria nodded. "Having a good day?"

"Yep, actually I am, it's kinda cool how everyones so excited. Makes working with them pretty fun"

"Yeah, that's what I think too" And looking around, it was true. All who were working worked with a positive attitude, joking around and working energetically. Those on break spent their time playing, relaxing underneath the shade, and gossiping about what lay beyond the tunnel.

"Hey guys" said Raul coming to join the two.

"Hey Raul" Link said.

"So how'd you and Link do?" Saria asked.

"Oh great, we got a lot of the right side cleared out, Link here was particularly helpful. Weren't you Link?" Raul said, patting Link on the back.

"Sure I guess, glad to have helped" Link looked up. Raul was now wearing another of his wide, goofy smiles. His face was cheerful and friendly, even looking somewhat like a cartoon character by his mellow expression and by the way his bangs and hat covered his eyes. They were all sitting down on a log now, gazing at the rock wall before them.

"So what do you think's behind there?" asked Saria.

"What's behind there huh? Well, I always figured that in the past, some of our ancestors made some place to, I dunno, meet or something. I've never been able to figure out what or why it got blocked off" answered Raul.

"Well, I don't see why they would build something over here away from the forest, they could've just been playing or something. But something tells me that there was a path here long ago, something that led somewhere else. But then it was sealed off somehow, I'm guessing a rock slide" replied Link.

"Really, that's interesting, it definetly could have led somewhere couldn't it?" asked Saria.

"Yep"

"Yeah, I always-"

"Hey, whats going on? I can't sleep with you guys yammering like that" a tiny voice suddenly called. Then a small green ball of light suddenly sprang out of Sarias hair.

"Oh, are we keeping you awake? I'm sorry Blessa" Saria apologized.

"We'll try to keep it down" added Link.

"No that's alright, as long as I'm up I may as well wander around for a bit" answered Blessa.

"Say that reminds me, where's Zak Raul?" asked Link.

"Oh he's off with the other fairies somewhere"

"So what were you guys talking about?" asked Blessa.

"About what's behind those boulders" answered Link.

"WELL I THINK YOUR ALL WRONG!" yelled a very loud voice behind them. Link sighed in dismay as he saw who was coming up to join them.

Walking towards them was a thin, freckled face boy, head cocked to the side in an arrogant posture. He bore a wicked smile as he strutted over to Link.

"Really...and what do you think's behind those rocks?" Link asked.

"Certainly not some 'long forgotten path' or 'campfire' as elf-boy and Goofy here seem to think!"

"M-MIDO!" Saria gasped.

"What?"

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you! If you don't have anything nice to say, just go away!" Saria yelled. Raul was now getting up, facing Mido as Link turned red with embarrasement at the mention of his pointy ears.

"Ahhhh but I do have something nice to say, I'll tell you what's really behind here if you'd let me finish!"

"Ok shoot" Raul responded.

"Alright, since it's obviously not what either of you said it was, it must have been something else, something sinister! My guess? Mole monsters!! That's right, they crawled out of the ground, and ate kids! So then, a band of kokiri joined together, lured them into this cave, and sealed them off forever with rocks!" Mido said, throwing his hands up into the air in a dramatic gesture.

Link, Raul, Blessa, and Saria all looked at Mido in silence, unimpressed.

"Uh...Mido, about how much time did you actually put into that story?" Blessa asked.

"Enough to say I'm right, and your wrong!" Mido proclaimed. At this point, Link was getting very annoyed.

"Ok Mido, first off, their MOLE monsters, how would sealing them off in a cave stop them?" Link asked.

"The ground must be hard" Mido replied

"Alright, and if they were so strong, how were they forced into the cave?" Raul inquired.

"Yeah, and how do you explain monsters IN THE FOREST OF THE GREAT DEKU TREE?!" Saria exclaimed.

"And what makes you-"

"All reasons only The Great Mido knows" Mido simply stated.

"Oh my gosh, just go away please..." Link sighed.

"HEY! DON'T YOU TELL ME TO GO AWAY! I AM RIGHT! JUST ADMIT IT!"

"Mido, enough is enough! If you don't start behaving, I'm going to have to ban you for the rest of this expedition!" Raul yelled. Mido stood there, trembling with rage.

"ALRIGHT FINE! YOU WANT REASONS? I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!" Everyone winced, getting ready for another long winded speech by the red-faced Mido.

"YOU WANNA KNOW WHY THE DEKU TREE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT! BECAUSE HE WAS ASLEEP, AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT HE CAN'T WATCH OVER WHEN HE'S-"

"Boooo!" a fairy suddenly shouted, flying into Mido's face and sending him falling onto his back in surprise.

"Hey Zak!" said Raul.

"Yo! How you doin?"

"Great now that you saved us from Mido!"

"Eh, was notin! Looked like he was about to make another speech, so I decided to give him a little shock!"

"Thanks a bunch, well breaks about over so...hey, why're you guys all laughing?" Link, Saria, and Blessa were all in hysterics, rolling with laughter.

"L-l-l-look...BEHIND YOU!" Blessa squeeked. Raul turned his head back and guffawed at what he saw.

Mido had falled onto a mound of straw and dirt, right onto a nest of red ants. Mido was jumping and hollering in panic, his body covered in a swarm of ants.

"GAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME!!" Mido screamed over and over.

"Well...do...you think...we...PPPFFFTTTT...should? Raul managed to choke out.

"Nah, I think 'The Great Mido' can handle this one!" Link chortled.

By this time, the whole camp had wandered over, wondering where all the noise was coming from. No matter how hard they tried, nobody could even make it off the ground, Mido's facial expressions and screams were just too funny. Finally, Link had somehow gained control of his laughter.

"Alright fine, I'll help!" he giggled.

"ABOUT FREAKING TIME! HURRY UP!"

Link walked up to Mido, his cheeks puffed up, barely containing the urge not to guffaw right in Mido's face. He in front of him.

"WELL, YOU GONNA HELP OR WHAT?!"

"Well...THE BATHROOMS THAT WAY!" Link suddenly burst out, and suddenly he completely lost it, rolling on his sides. His rib cages felt like they would explode, and he was starting to wheeze. The whole forest was filled with the laugh of the kokiri children. Laughing...

Link sighed at the memory.

"Man, I still can't believe Mido actually tried so hard, why can't he ever just chill out? Man those were some good times, I hope we can do something like that again" Link looked towards the rock wall again, eyes shining wistfully. "Yes, someday, I really will discover what's beyond there, and then maybe, I'll see the world beyond the forest"

Then Link realized in astonishment that he was actually feeling better. He had completely forgotten about his dark dreams.

"Wow, since I'm better, maybe I should head back?" Link wondered. But then a smile came to his face. "No, I'd like to see it again" Link decided. And so he traveled to the right of the rock wall. For five minutes he went on threw a linear path. As he went, Link heard the sounds of rushing water fill the area. Then, the path opened up into a wide expanse, where an intricate network of streams flowed into a large pool nested in the far end of the clearing.

The water shone a dazzling white light, the grass shimmered a bright green hue even in the night, and the ground was soft under Links feet. The pond was teaming with life, many exotic fish roamed it's depths lit by many brightly colored coral. It was as though the area was once inhabited by a proud, majestic race that had once lived there.

Link proceeded over to a smooth, obsidian stone overlooking the river. He then lay upon it's side, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. He was now suddenly reminded of how tired he was. He yawned deeply, and soon, the gentle sound of the rivers had lulled him to sleep...right before a loud boom instantly woke him up.

Link snapped to attention and turned towards the sound. The ground was a mess of scattered dirt and there was a small crater in the center of it all. Link was relieved for he had a pretty good idea of what that was.

Looking up, he saw a small figure fluttering above, supported by two huge flowers with rotating petal blades. The figure had landed on a tree, now unloading three sacks it had been carrying around.

"Alfred?" Link called.

The creature looked down at Link. He was an odd looking creature, possesing stout legs, a wooden chestnut body, and orange eyes that appeared as slits.

"Yo!"

"Oh, greetings Link"

"Unloading your wares?"

"Oh, yeah, well business ran a little long today, it seems strange creatures have been bothering the other deku lately. They have been rather weary as of late..." Link squinted curiously.

"Strange creatures? Like what?" He asked.

"From what others have informed me, large spiders have been hunting in their areas lately. Nasty creatures mind you, they say that everywhere they go, the forest itself seems to whither and rot" The figure hopped down from the tree.

"So what about you? Taking a walk?" Link hesitated.

"...You could say that" Alfreds smile faded.

"Is something wrong Link?" Links head was hung. His eyes rose and fell, wondering whether he should tell what was bothering him, the terrifying visions that disturbed his thoughts, filled him with horror as he slept, and would never go away.

"No, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to' Alfred answered. 'But don't be afraid to tell, I would be glad to help in anyway I could"

"Yeah I know, but I think it's something I need to solve myself. Thanks though" Link responded.

"I see, well I'm off, toodles" With that, Alfred spun around, drilling himself into the ground. Then in another shower of debris, he exploded out of the ground and floated beyond Links perception.

"There he goes" Link thought. He gazed thoughtfully at the forest roof. His body trembled a bit, much to Links astonishment.

"Wait a minute, I'm not feeling upset...am I?" His eyes shot up in realization right before a wave of pain suddenly speared itself through his heart. Before he could do anything, a relentless screeching noise began to drown out his senses. Link could barely do anything besides howl in anguish at the darkness that flooded his mind once again.

It wasn in these moments that Links mind, his very soul was thrown beneath a vortex of darkness. His body writhed in agony as his mind felt like it was about to be smashed. But it was not the pain, the frequency, nor even the psychological damage that made him scream the way he did. No, it was what the darkness was that had filled him with terror for these two weeks, the darkness that took root inside Links head and spread like a virus, the darkness that filled his head with visions of destruction, monstrous roars, absolute hopelesness, and scarred it into his mind day after day.

After what seemed like hours, Link was returned to the world blind, deaf, and paralyzed. There he lay splayed out on his stomach, collapsed and seemingly dead. Links body shuddered violently as his body finally resumed its functions. And there Link stood, his body recovered...but not his mind. Though it had only been ten minutes, those ten minutes had filled Links eyes with decades of suffering.

And so Link cried, cried because of the evil that haunted him. No words were yelled this time...for sadness had made him feel completely hollow inside.

In the beginning, when these nightmares had came, they merely bothered and annoyed him. Before, he had only felt nervous everytime he had to fall asleep again, and though the visions had frightened him, they had never done so to the extent they did now. But then they began to get worse. Before Link knew it, it started to plague him even during the day. Link had then tried to shrug it off, by making himself indifferent, seperating himself from the fear and pain, and trusting to the strength of his mind to ward it off eventually. For a while, he had managed to keep the curse from driving him into despair, as it did now.

But then...two days ago...it felt like something had snapped. A sudden and earthsplitting screech had rang through his head that day, as though something extremely important, something valuable...had just been nearly destroyed. And in that moment, the darkness descended upon his mind, in waves it had never gone in before, as though the very gates of hell had suddenly opened up.

Now, he never felt any sense of calm, no sense of safety. No, now something inside always seemed to try to hurt him in some way and strike him when he was most vulnerable. Link picked himself off the ground and stalked around.

So blurred was his vision, that he could not even seem to make out any sort of general direction. It was in that moment when Link had finally made a conscious decision.

"No, I can't go back right now" he decided. "My god...I can't even concentrate on doing so...don't worry everyone, I'll be back soon..." Link promised. "Please don't worry too much for me until then..." With one final walk, he had disappeared into the woods...


End file.
